This invention relates to hair cleansing and conditioning compositions and methods of making and using thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to hair cleansing and conditioning compositions that incorporate herbal extracts.
Herbal extracts are widely known and used in the art of making shampoos and hair conditioners. Herbal extracts are used for a variety of reasons, and are chosen based on their particular properties. For example, some herbal extracts are chosen and incorporated into shampoos and conditioners because of the fragrance they add to the composition. Additionally, other herbal extracts are chosen because of the advantageous effects they may have on the health of the hair by reducing dryness, increasing its body, or making it shine.
The word "awapuhi" is the general Hawaiian term used in reference to all ginger plants. There are many different types of awapuhi, such as awapuhi ke'oke'o or white ginger, awapuhi melemele or yellow ginger, awapuhi'ula'ula, or red ginger, and finally, awapuhi kuahiwi, which is know as "shampoo ginger" or by the Latin binomial Zingiber zerumbet. Each type of ginger has different properties that make it suitable for different uses. For example, white ginger is extremely aromatic, red ginger has edible roots and has been incorporated into many traditional Hawaiian meals, and Zingiber zerumbet has become known for both its fragrant qualities and its ability to clean and condition hair when used as a shampoo. Other gingers have been used by native healers as remedies for all sorts of ailments, from toothaches to upset stomachs.
To date, there are several types of shampoos on the market that incorporate an "awapuhi extract." Paul Mitchell, Kava, and Jason's Natural shampoos all list an awapuhi extract as an ingredient, and most of them specify that the type of awapuhi used is a white ginger. Some of the others use a red or yellow ginger, but none of them incorporate an extract from Zingiber zerumbet. Most of these shampoos have incorporated the ginger for its "tropical scent," and some have even been criticized for not living up to their advertisements. For example, Paula Begoun, a noted beauty aid analyst, criticized Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi Shampoo stating that the Awapuhi in that shampoo "has little effect on the hair." She then continued to say that over time the shampoo can actually build up on the hair and weigh it down.
Additionally, even though the Hawaiian people have long used Zingiber zerumbet for various uses, including squeezing the juice directly onto their hair during bathing, the herb has yet to be incorporated into a commercially produced shampoo that contains many of the other ingredients typically found in shampoos on the market today. Because of its unique hair cleansing and conditioning properties, the incorporation of the Zingiber zerumbet extract into a shampoo formulation to create a combination hair cleansing and conditioning composition would represent a great advancement over the prior art.